Colour design of exterior surfaces as an expression of architectural thought

Abstract

Based on the postulation of the architectural end products communicate with the context by means of their exterior surfaces, this study claims that colour as a design concept is one of the main elements in expressing the architectural thought through out the products' surfaces. Being in a universe where human beings identify the three dimensionality with their perceptions, surface becomes one of the main concepts in identifying and communicating with the environment which they live in. The identification and communication of an object exposes itself through the way which it have been created. This exposition can be the structural and physical properties of the object where as it can be a semantic reflection of its designers' thoughts and personal expressions. The architect utilises the surfaces of the architectural end-products as a canvas in order to reflect their architectural thoughts. However, apart from the other objects, architects' canvases is three dimensional and they are two sided as inner and exterior surfaces. The architectural product's inner surface can be considered as the bordering surface of the designed space. On the other hand, the exterior surface should be considered as the inner skin of the environment.Within this thesis the components which visualises the thoughts of the designer, as the exterior facades of the building becomes the surfaces of environmental borders, these components will be studied as a part of this design process. Since colour is an important concept of the design process, it will be emphasised within its exterior surface application and its design notions. Especially, in the developing countries colour concept usually comes to the fore just as an esthetical component on the surfaces of the architectural products and can not go further than being a dye which is chosen during the last stage of the construction process. In these circumstances, colour as a surface property becomes one of the main reasons of the visual decay in the cityscapes. In this respect, this thesis does not only point out that colour is one of the main components of the design process but also indicates that colour is an inherent part of the expression of the architectural thought on the exterior surfaces of the architectural design objects which should be considered in relating with the characteristics of the environment. Keywords: Surface, Architectural Surface, Exterior Surface, Environmental Skin, Colour, Colour Perception, Functional Colour, Surface Colour, Colour in Architecture.